Final Stats Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team set the tone early against UNO, getting a pair of 3-pointers out of the gate from KK Babin and the Colonels never looked back as Nicholls picked up an 80-66 victory at Lakefront Arena Tuesday night.

Babin led all scorers with 26 point, with 18 coming in the first half. New Orleans native LiAnn McCarthy finished with 14 points and eight boards, and Jasmine Scott recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Colonels (2-1) never trailed in the game and took at 42-33 at the break after a fast-paced, turnover-plagued 20 minutes of play. Nicholls shot a scorching 50 percent in the opening period, but turned the ball over 14 times. But the Colonels' defense forced UNO into 19 turnovers, picking up 11 steals before the intermission.

Babin's 3-pointers gave Nicholls a 6-0 lead, and the Colonels used back-to-back 3's from Emani White and Babin to head into the under-8 media timeout with a 22-15 lead. UNO's Melissa Jensen brought the game to 22-18 with a basket-and-one, but the Privateers would not get any closer the rest of the way. Nicholls quickly pushed the advantage back to double-figures with a 6-0 spurt, fueled by two field goals from Scott.

In the second period, Jenny Nash, who nailed a jumper at the buzzer before the intermission, opened the second stanza with a 3-pointer. Still leading by 10, McCarthy then sparked an 8-0 run, scoring the last six points to put Nicholls up 55-39. UNO was able to cut the deficit to 65-56 with eight minutes left, but the Colonels finished strong, leading by as much as 19 before the final horn.

Nicholls shot 47.5 percent (28 of 59) and hit 6 of 11 from 3-point range. The Colonels regained their form at the line from last season, making 18 of 23. Although Nicholls was outrebounded 37-36, the Colonels held a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Along with leading the team in scoring, Babin paced the team with four assists. Alisha Allen rounded out the scoring leaders with nine points.

Both teams struggled with turnovers as UNO had 31 versus the Colonels' 26. The Privateers were led by Mechel'le Thomas with 16 points, while Keri Thomas and Diarra Carrington added 11 each.

The Colonels will make their Stopher Gym debut when they host ULM on Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.